The rescuing team was there in inhuman speed thanks to their magical abilities, and quickly the man hoisted me onto the extra shaggy, light blue horse. The horse shook its mane at the human boy, snorting mist.

My king's wizard fastened a cloth sled behind the horse I sat on. Then, when that was done, he pulled the bleeding boy onto it, fastening him in so the horse's movements wouldn't knock him out of the sled.

I was worried sick for the boy. So worried, I couldn't see past my brain's filter that made him my twin brother. My mind blurred around the edges.

The wizard patted me reassuringly on the knee. "He's secured, lord. Once we get him to the castle, he'll be treated for his wounds properly."

I nodded, not looking past the boy.

"You must be exhausted," the man continued, swinging himself onto his horse. They both immediately started moving, the horses gingerly walking down the mountain. The boy was hardly jostled.

I huffed in relief, my shoulders sagging. He was going to be alright. Fai was going to be alright!

I nodded off on the horse, right as they started running, smooth and sure.

For once, I hoped I would dream of my brother.

I awoke to a sharp jab. Something slick and wet covered my hair, cold but warm at the same time.

Could it be snow?

I shifted as I slowly gained consciousness. I couldn't feel anything. Everything was cold. I sneezed some of the cold from my nose, but it still remained. Where was I?

No horse would feel this cold.

I opened my eyes, immediately closing them again at the presence of bright light far above. Rolling over to my side, I coughed up some of the cold, and forced my eyes open.

The eyes of a wizard gazed unseeingly back at me.

I yelped, jumping away from the body. My escort and his horse both lay dead in the snow, covered in layers of ice. How long had I been down here?

I looked up; gawking at the depth of the hole we'd fallen into. It was amazing that I was still alive. When I looked down, I realized why—the other horse had broken my fall. Blood crusted the poor beast's muzzle.

I swallowed uncomfortably, thoughts of the curse of the twins racing through my head. It was my fault, wasn't it? It was me who killed them. If only I wasn't a cursed twin. For a few minutes of silence I gazed at the dead bodies with thoughts of joining them. It wouldn't be hard. The dead wizard was bound to have a knife that could ensure the slow, painful death I surely deserved.

A groan snapped me out of my thoughts.

My head snapped around toward the noise. The sled was untouched!

Fai! I ran to the sled, shoveling snow and ice away with my torn-up hands until they were bleeding and numb.

I froze.

Red eyes, dull and pain-stricken, stared back at me.

I was a fool, a stupid, idiotic fool to believe that this boy was going to be anything like my brother. He was much larger than me or my brother, with healthy muscle that spoke of intense exercise. His well-built body was lean, but not in the unhealthy way that my own still portrayed. Black spiky hair stood up on his head, falling limp in a few select places, and his eyes. Eyes that were as red as blood; they had an eternally haunted look about them.

His eyes—the expression he wore was the only thing that reminded me of my brother.

Slowly, like someone speaking to a deaf person, he spoke to me. His eyes were narrowed, like what he was saying was supposed to be threatening. But I couldn't understand. I could only hide my expression behind an innocent mask and shake my head. He snapped at me, punching the ground with his fist in anger.

Not thinking very well, I jolted towards him and grabbed his hand. "No," I moaned, my mask crumbling into a pained look. "Don't hurt yourself, brother."

Only a few moments later could I recognize my mistake. I shook my head quickly and snapped my hands away. No. He wasn't my brother. I can't act like this around someone who isn't my brother.

The boy gave me a questioning look.

Not one to break a silence first, I held my hands together before me in a praying stance, kneeling down and closing my eyes.

He's not Fai.

Don't let yourself believe in the lies.

He isn't your brother.

I bit my lips, fighting a nauseating feeling that told me I was about to cry. I couldn't shed tears! The twins' curse caused this whole mess! It was my fault.

Something warm cupped the back of my head.

I opened my eyes to see myself reflected in the pools of red that were the other boy's eyes. He no longer had narrowed eyes, but his eyebrows were in a permanent I hate this state.

He drew back the hand that was touching me, bringing with it crimson fingers.

Blood?

I reached for the back of my head and felt. Beyond the numbness, something warm and wet slid over my fingers. My blood.

I brought my hands before my face, unable to look away from the red over them.

Fai.

Fai's blood.

His blood covers me!

The boy rapped on my head softly with a knuckle.

I met his eyes again.

He jerked a thumb up to the entrance to the hole we'd fallen into with an obvious 'Let's get out of here.'

I glanced forlornly at the three dead bodies surrounding us. The boy clamped his hands on my shoulders hard, making sure I was paying attention to him, and then repeated his earlier gesture.

I nodded, unable to stop a few tears from falling. My fault—it was my fault for their deaths.

He captured one of the tears with his finger—an unexpected touch. I froze, staring up at him. He gave me a look: 'Do I have your full attention now?'

I grimaced.

He stood, wincing at the wounds that still covered his body. I was struck with another point that made him different from my twin and me: he was several inches taller than me, a good head and a half over my own.

I stood with him and shuffled over to my dead horse. The crystal on my staff glittered unhappily when I picked it up. Though the boy gave the staff a questioning glance, he didn't give me a look that would've told me to discard it. I took the chance to cast another communication spell.

Ashura-O's voice answered the spell with his un-changing calm voice. "Yes, Fai? I take it you're heading back?"

The boy turned to me with a sickened look at the staff. With an equally calm voice to mock the king's, I said, "not quite, my king. We have fallen into thin ice. No water, just a deep hole. Your man and horses are both dead."

This didn't seem to bother him. He answered with, "and the important thing?"

I quirked up an eyebrow at the staff. "Alive."

I could picture the king nodding his head approvingly. "I'll send another team out to collect you immediately."

"You know what?" I snapped, agitated at the king's disinterest in the deaths of his own men. "We'll just get out on our own, to ensure that none of your men get killed like this last one! Thank you!" I broke the connection.

I threw the staff down defiantly, growling at the floor of ice.

All the while, the boy never moved his eyes from me.

"What?" I barked at him, spreading my hands. "Are you hoping for an encore to my anger? What do you want me to do?!"

He shook his head at me.

I sighed. He couldn't understand.

"Alright," I exhaled. I imitated what he'd done earlier: jerking a thumb upwards. "Let's go."

He nodded, determination overriding everything else, especially the confusion. He understood that.